Nina Vallado is a documentary filmmaker, podcast host, and storyteller. Nina strives to tell stories that bring empathy, compassion and understanding to her audiences. Her undergraduate thesis film, Sisterly, was a finalist in the Student Academy Awards in 2017. Her film explores the journey she and her sister with autism go on to find connection and friendship despite limited ability to communicate.
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You can find more of her work at ninavallado.com
Nina Vallado
Kaleb Eisele
Kaleb Eisele is a journalist and content creator whose body of work focuses on the life stories of Seventh-day Adventists. Through his projects, Humans of Adventism and Oregon Adventist Stories, Kaleb has interviewed and published the life experience stories of over 500 Seventh-day Adventists since 2017, and serves in various communications advisory positions ranging from the local church to the North American Division. A podcast enthusiast and regular community volunteer, Kaleb lives with his wife near Portland, Oregon.
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IG: @humansofadventism
FB: Humans of Adventism
Heather Moor
Heather Moor is an audio producer, film writer and director whose work explores the intersection of religion and culture. She’s worked with the NAD’s Adventist Learning Community and on such projects as The Record Keeper and the Your Movie Hour podcast. She will complete her MFA in TV and Screenwriting from Stephens College in May 2022 and currently lives in the greater Los Angeles area with her husband Jonny - a pastor - and their dog Leo.
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SetinSandFilms.com
Twitter: @heatherlmoor
Meet the Team
This project was made possible by
In 2021, the Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America is at a crossroads.
Within the next 5-10 years, an estimated 60+% of our pastors and administrators will retire. COVID-19 has totally changed the landscape of how we do church. Millennial and Gen Z Adventists in particular are questioning whether the Adventist church is relevant to our personal lives - and the world around us.
And that’s why we made this podcast.
Hosted by documentary filmmaker Nina Vallado and Humans of Adventism creator Kaleb Eisele, How the Church Works is an eleven-part investigative podcast that examines Adventist history, identity and legacy, and if Adventism is relevant in our changing world.
We didn’t shy away from the tough questions. While researching this podcast over the last year, we learned some things that completely changed the way we look at the church - that early Adventists were abolitionists, there was a plot to declare Ellen White’s successor that included murder, that the Adventist church structure is designed to be decentralized, and that the church’s system of tithe is trickle up, not trickle down. We also learned that our structures, beliefs, and practices are not rigid, and what our past means for our future.
If you have curiosity, confusion or frustration about how the church works, this podcast is for you.